Pangani Police Station open for hate mongers – Boinnet

While referring to the recent incident where eight legislators were arrested and held in custody for four days, Boinnet cautioned that the doors of Pangani Police Station were still open for those who violate the law/FILE

By JOSEPH MURAYA, NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 29 – Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet on Wednesday warned politicians against spewing hatred, saying they will be arrested and ultimately get prosecuted.

While referring to the recent incident where eight legislators were arrested and held in custody for four days, Boinnet cautioned that the doors of Pangani Police Station were still open for those who violate the law.

“We will not tire against making immediate action against anybody who wants to stir trouble in this country by making reckless statements,” the IG asserted.

He said police officers are under firm instructions to arrest any hate speech culprit regardless of their political or social status.

Just like any other citizens, Boinnet told politicians that they will get similar treatment while inside police cells.

“When you become a guest of any of our facility, we don’t make exception to anyone. You will enjoy the same privileges that are available to any other Kenyan who is our guest,” he said.

“Don’t say there are no blankets.”

This comes even as ICT ministry on Wednesday announced the progress of a stringent Computer and Cybercrimes Bill 2016, which will among other curb the hate speech menace if enacted to law.

Under the, offenders are likely to be fined Sh20 million or face 10 years in jail.

The Bill, according to Cabinet Secretary for ICT Joe Mucheru, will provide effective policing tools to allow extraction, collection and analysis of digital evidence, the scope of warrants and preservation of evidence among other measures.

“Proportionality in sentencing has been taken into consideration in line with human rights best practices under the Bill. For example, whereas in other East African countries such as Uganda, the sentence provided for offences involving protected computer systems is life imprisonment,” he pointed out.

“The corresponding offences under the Bill carry a penalty of Sh20 million or a 10 year imprisonment term or both.”

The Bill is set to seal loopholes in the current legal measures that have left the country prone to Cybercrime, posed from both local and international culprits.

The Bill provides more detail on investigation procedures necessary for, “effective prosecution criteria for obtaining search warrants for seizure of computer equipment and applications for subscriber information from private and public entities.”

“The Bill provides for safeguards and conditions for use of investigative powers. These procedural law powers are provided for specified investigations as opposed to general surveillance and will be limited by safeguards and conditions to prevent their abuse,” Mucheru assured.

The procedures however, he said the will require, “not only capacity building for criminal justice actors but also for the public to ensure effective implementation of the Bill once enacted into law.”